On Thursday, August 22, Pela sent Austin four images, one from each artist: Gersten's The Bessies, a painting that re-imagines Grant Wood's American Gothic with cows; Mendez's What a Crock, a pen-and-ink portrait of a crocodile woman; Falk's The Visitation, a portrait of a woman and a butterfly; and Ford's Daddy's Gone A-Hunting, which portrays a person in a heavy coat wearing a rabbit mask, holding a gun in one hand and three baby dolls strung up by their feet like bagged game in the other. These images were to be used on the exhibition's promotional postcards and on Herberger's website.

Austin did not write that there were any problems with them. The postcards were printed and the show was listed on the site.

Pela e-mailed Austin the titles and prices for all the "Prime Example" artwork on Thursday, August 29.

Mike Ford

Mike Ford's photograph The Dolls portrays the artist (left) and his mother.

Mike Ford

The Hotel Room by Mike Ford was deemed potentially offensive.

Location Info

Map

Austin replied that she had concerns about Ford's photography based on his works' titles, particularly The Sodomite. She wrote that a Valley Youth Theatre show would be at Herberger for three weeks in September and that children and families would be in attendance. (The exhibition also would've been up during Herberger's Festival of the Arts, set for Saturday, October 5.)

At that point, she had not seen Ford's works, except for Daddy's Gone A-Hunting, when she wrote to Pela, "Based on the titles, I'm not sure what to expect. As you know, we are a theater first and need to be respectful of our patrons and theater companies. We may need to pull The Sodomite and others depending on subject matter."

She asked Pela if he had suggestions.

Pela wrote back that day, "I suggest that censorship is never right, and now is not the time to tell me that you may be pulling artwork from a show I've already promised my artists and the audience that they'll be seeing."

He sent her all of Ford's images that were to be included in the show, writing, "The Sodomite is a photograph of a man's face."

The Sodomite does not portray sex or violence. It shows a man in caked-on white makeup with the word "sodomite" written in red across his forehead. In biblical terms, a "Sodomite" is a resident of Sodom, a city representative of vice, deviance, and sin that God smote. In modern language, "sodomy" can mean anal or oral sex, as well as bestiality.

Austin replied about 20 minutes later that Herberger could not display Mike Ford's The Sodomite, nor could the venue show The Dolls, an image of the artist and his mother in blond wigs, kabuki-style white makeup, and red lipstick, or The Motel Room, which shows a fully clothed person posed on a bed wearing a mask. At the end of her message, she added that she had been asking for images and information since April.

Pela replied and disagreed, stating that Austin had requested Pela send her one artwork image per artist.

She responded on the morning of Friday, August 30: "Unfortunately, we must cancel the 'Prime Example' exhibit. It may well be a provocative and impactful exhibit in another space, but it does not align with the balance of art forms we must achieve at the Herberger Theater."

Then came the fallout.

Pela took to Facebook to explain that the show had been canceled. And in flooded messages from the arts community.

Tempe-based artist Travis Fields organized an anti-censorship protest in response to the cancellation of "Prime Example" on September 5, the day the show was set to open with a reception. Attendance peaked at 20 people, according to Pela. They turned up with homemade signs that read "Shame on Herberger" and "Stop Herberger No Censorship." One masked protester stuck printed green leaves on the breasts and genitalia of the nude Waddell sculptures around the theater.

Other members of the visual arts community have distanced themselves and their work from Herberger. Surrealist artist Jason Hugger withdrew three paintings from Herberger's October exhibition, "Nocturne," because of the show's cancellation.

"If they're going to do that, then I don't want to participate in it," Hugger says. "What they did was ludicrous and unprofessional. And I just feel I don't want to work with them."

Michael Allen has announced that he will not participate in any future Herberger exhibitions.

Diane Di Bernardino Sanborn withdrew as curator of Herberger's upcoming exhibition, "Balance." She wrote in a message to Austin, which she shared with New Times, "My professional reputation in the Phoenix/Scottsdale arts community is extremely important to me, and I have worked very hard over the past 24 years to establish this reputation as a top-notch artist, arts educator, and fine arts business owner."

Arizona Theatre Company's artistic director David Ira Goldstein commented on the "Prime Example" Facebook event page, "This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. I can put 20 totally naked people on the stage of the Herberger in HAIR, who have sung a song in that show called 'Sodomy,' but you can't show these beautiful pieces?!" ATC is one of Herberger's two resident companies. The other is Center Dance Ensemble.

The artists who were slated to participate in "Prime Example" also were upset by the cancellation.

Censorship, especially of artists in the public arena must be good, and that phrase "good" is really the problem. Is that a bummer? Does everything HAVE to be "good"? Do we see where this is going? Is filth "good"? Is freedom, real freedom, the right to barf all over everybody? Is crap good to eat? No. Good is good, and crap is crap, keep blurring the line and what do you get? Sodom & Gomorra. WAKE UP! That pic says it all, the white face paint with "SODOMITE" written on the forehead. And while I'm here please past this in YouTube,,, "A vision of swords"... It is about p o r n.

Why not start your own alternative, private theater? All you need is some old warehouse somewhere, and it could be funded privately, by those that want it. If it is private, then you can have any kind of venue you want.

If you want or need a place to display controversial art, create your own "Burning Man" and have everyone come out to the desert where you can worship whatever you want. Not EVERYTHING is "appropriate" for "everywhere" -- that doesn't mean censored, but perhaps logical and considerate. There are things high school students cannot create at school -- because it is not deemed appropriate. Find a different gallery.

I think this story should be called Robert Pela turns minor controversy into major capital gain.

I'm really turned off that New Times thinks this is cover material and that
the writer paralleled this story to Ai Weiwei being kidnapped and his
studio destroyed by his own government. Its obvious that Pela used his
influenced at the New Times to push this story to a major headline that
it does not deserve in the meantime degrading the Herberger name( I
would not be surprised if he edited the article himself). The
Herberger's have contributed millions of dollars to education and arts
that have benefited Arizona immensely. What has Pela done for the art
community other than stir up unneeded controversy over a practically
invisible gallery that is a tiny portion of the theater, besides the
primary function of the theater is to serve the performing arts
community not the visual arts. I think the staff in charge of the
Herberger is definitely negligent in establishing guidelines insofar as
what they deem acceptable in the gallery but I can also see their point
considering the timing in relationship to other events, however I think
the content of the artist work is rather tame compared to current
television standards of content and that those in charge
over-reacted.This was not a make or break show for any of these artists,
but as an artist myself I would be insulted by the inconvenience and
can understand their frustration.

Still my point being is that
Mr. Pela benefits more from this controversy than if it never happened
and it shows that being an opportunist is more important to him than
being moral in his decision making, especially since he was quick to
accuse of censorship and moved the show to his gallery and titled it "
Banned at the Herberger". I think Robert Pela threw out the "C" word a
little too casually. In the art world the word "censorship" is
comparable to
the world "racist" in that when you accuse someone of either they become
very stalwartly defensive and the general public gets easily worked up.
Which I surmise is the case in the position of the Herberger rep and
why she became turned off to accommodating Robert in any degree. If
any thing should be boycotted I think it should be Pela curating.

@artraud49 I think you nailed a balanced of review of the whole scenario.Kudos.

And maybe your "art" sucked so bad it was not worthy of public display. Let me ask you a question. If I smear shit on a 10ft x 10ft portrait of Obama at named it "Shitbama", would you declare it art? Would you respect my "right" to have it displayed along side Piss Christ?

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thank you for your very detailed article on the Herberger censorship
incident. The National Coalition Against Censorship's Arts Advocacy
Project is looking into the issue and especially the First Amendment
implications of the fact that the theater's space is owned by the City.

If you can put us in touch with Robert Pela that would be great. We
would like to put some national pressure on the Herberger - this kind of
flagrant and arbitrary censorship should not be happening in a cultural
institution.

Thanks again,

Svetlana Mintcheva

Svetlana Mintcheva, Ph.D.
Director of Programs
National Coalition Against Censorship

1. Robert Pela is the Honey Boo Boo of the downtown Phoenix Art scene. He never misses an opportunity to self promote.

2.Because of this controversy, more people will see the artwork at the Pela Gallery than if it had been hung as intended on the second floor of the Herberger.

3.If only on could read SODOMITE on the subject's forehead on the cover. What is SOOOMIT?I don't know. The photographer should thank the Herberger for giving his career a boost and for all that free publicity that only controversy can bring.

4. I feel bad for the artists who worked hard to put a show together and got cut through no fault of their own.

5. So much drama back and forth and difficulty being honest, but it appears that the Herberger really screwed up. They would not host a performance of any kind without knowing the content. Unless Pela pulled the show, as some have reported, the error is clearly with the theater.

6. This is not censorship, no matter how much a Tea Party infused response wants to make it about taking away one's rights. What's next? Your guns? Your God? Your Vagina? A vendor shut down a show. Get over yourself. That or watch more episodes of Girls so you can feel empowered.

7. Entitlement is the step child of spoiled television reality children and D-list artists.

8. For all the artists and guest curators who now boycott the Herberger, there will be hundreds of artists who will take your place.

9.This is a sandbox cat fight that should have been worked out between two adult parties. This kind of infighting hurts artists, patrons, and art spaces. It gives credence to the far right who want no part of public funded art. It does nothing to promote art in the valley. A ridiculous hill to die on.

10. To bring the name of Ai Weiwei into this mundane squabble between two parties, that need some sense knocked into their pathetic egos, is an outrage and an affront to intelligence and human dignity.

@joshdadevil To be fair, there is nothing in the Pela art show which held a candle to the nude statues in front of the Herberger! It wasn't the images the Herberger was censoring, it was the ideas conveyed by the art they didn't like. Sodomy is sodomy, whether gays or straights do it - you go down on your wife or girlfriend THAT IS SODOMY! See bigots like to be able to frame that word so they can prove to themselves that the bible condemns homosexuality. If the true meaning is shown for what it is, their dehumanizing comments don't have as much power. Yeah, the bible condemns sodomy, ALL SODOMY!!!

A group in Tucson remove a book from the school's curriculum, and a completely separate group shuts down an exhibit as not being "family-friendly", and you choose to attribute both actions to "these prudes" and then further characterize them as if it they represent a new trend, as opposed to the long-standing practices they represent.

I don't think we need your help along the path to enlightenment, but thanks for trying.

@Artaud49 Robrt Pela is a wonderful person and an amazing curator. He's been an active member of the PAS for decades. I assure you, the community would be missing a very important key without him here.

And self-promotion or not, the actions of the HTC were unprofessional and sloppily handled at best. As a professional in the industry, he has an absolute right to be upset about a poorly situation, completely disregarding the censorship claim.

Since they consider the gallery to be family-friendly, I would expect them to be against any form of erotic art, as well as any other images that might be upsetting to children. Did somebody say that the issue involved orientation? I haven't seen that.

And sodomy is not this issue. I am pro-sodomy. who cares about the statues in front of the theater. I just appreciate Herberger's appropriate decision to not promote those images their family audience.

you can call me a bigot if you want... I just don't want to explain the dead babies photo and cross dressing to my 2 year old next time we go.

So, Wayne, you justify discounting an opinion because you assume they've never been an art show, but we should give weight to your characterization of this person you've never met, based on three sentences?

@pipper@Artaud49 If the actions of the HTC were unprofessional, then Pela should have been professional and called them out on THAT issue, not the overly dramatic and erroneous censorship claim. Instead, he made the issue about him...Wah, you censored my selections.It's an immature response and discounts your first paragraph. His actions could justifiably encourage the Herberger to show no art in their gallery. He should have an adult. He wasn't.

If the artist provided there own space and was prohibited from doing the show I would agree that is censorship. BUT it is not censorship for an individual or an organization to decide it does not want to show that artist's work. Just because you create a piece of art does not mean that a gallery or as museum must show it. The institution has a right to decide what to show and what not to show for what ever reason it chooses.

@valleynative@eric.nelson745 Nobody can claim that a Madonna (not Madonna... "Like a Virgin...") smeared with shit isn't offensive. And although I'm a heathen, I am somewhat offended by the concept of a Piss Christ. I have at least some couth and class.

You seem to assume that I'm arguing that it should have been censored. I'm simply pointing out potential hypocrisy in eric's view of what should be displayed.

I do have to say that whether it's smeared or carefully clumped is less important than the fact that a work incorporates shit.

I'm glad you posted, because I wanted to ask if you realize that the Herberger has stated that they want their exhibits to be "family-friendly", and to clarify whether you think that children should be exposed to anything any artist chooses to depict.

@valleynative@eric.nelson745 Indeed, a US court of law found the Madonna you mention - a work featuring three carefully formed clumps of elephant dung (not smeared with shit as you say) - defended the work as well and prevented NYC's Major Giuliani from closing the Brooklyn Museum because of his dislike of the work. It's called free speech.

@joshdadevil@ExpertShot There were no dead babies depicted - they were dolls. Perhaps you can explain to your children why killing the babies of other animals is different than humans killing baby cows or eating eggs. The truth sucks boy.

So if people disagree with you, they're not worth talking to? In a discussion of censorship?

You can't assume that just because somebody is homophobic, that they lack all culture. It might be true of many or even most, but when you make the assumption about an individual, you're being discriminatory.

Well first thing, anonymous poster- I approach the subject with actual facts in hand. If uou think discounting a show due to homophobia is acceptable, then I don't need to have a conversation with you, either.

You notice the poster hasn't contradicted what I said, haven't you? Anyone who uses a slur to describe someone he hasn't met is traditionally not going to be cultured.

He's not a patron of the arts, so take your butt hurt feelings elsewhere where they may serve some purpose.

They had asked for images of the works. There was miscommunication in that the artists assumed that the show organizer was providing the images. As a result, they didn't get to see the works until shortly before it was scheduled.

@travisfields@warren60 they didn't say "you may not show this art," they said, "we will not show this art." they don't have the authority to say "you may not show this art" and that is why this is not censorship. are you always such an insufferable drama queen?